How to Select an Herbicide to Eradicate Thistles
Sharp-edged and prickly, thistles are considered weeds in most cases, as they grow aggressively and compete with plants around them for space and nutrition. They can grow in unfriendly terrain and spread quickly, and their deep root systems make eradication an intensive process.
While diligent hand-weeding and mulching can remove thistles, some varieties are more aggressive than others, so an effective eradication system will almost always include some type of herbicide.
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Instructions
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Assess your terrain. If you use your land for crop growing, your choice of herbicide will likely be different than if you were not using your land for the production of food.
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Assess your thistle. Some thistles, such as musk thistle and plumeless thistle, can be controlled merely by regular tilling or grazing rotation. Others, such as Canada thistle and Flodman's thistle, are harder to control by mechanical means. In all cases, a management plan that integrates both mechanical and chemical means is typically the most effective.
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Determine your application time. Your choice of herbicide is affected by when you choose to apply it, particularly when you are applying it to cropland, and also by the stage of growth the thistle is in. It may take a while and a little bit of research to determine what chemical formulation is best for your thistle problem, as there are many variants.
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Choose your herbicide. An online document published by the North Dakota State University Extension Service (see References) provides a helpful chart that may help you determine what herbicide to use, when and how. For more in-depth information according to your circumstances, contact your local cooperative extension.
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Tips & Warnings
Persistence is essential. Continued work to dig up or spot-spray minor infestations is necessary to prevent large-scale invasions.
Keep your land from being overgrazed or otherwise barren, as the lack of competition in even the most difficult of soils will present an opportunity for thistle infestation.
Follow grazing guidelines if you have livestock that range and feed on your property.
Read thoroughly the labels of the herbicides you choose. They may have special restrictions or be specific to certain thistles, or they may be dangerous to certain nearby crops or landscapes. They may have certain application rates.
When in doubt, contact your local experts. Especially if there are organic farms, sensitive habitats or water sources nearby, or property used extensively by people (such as parks or backyards), some herbicides are better than others.
